Friends Beyond Measure: An Award-Winning Picture Book About Friendship and Moving Away for Children

by Lalena Fisher

"A loving tale inventively and informatively told." —Kirkus (starred review) "A uniquely told story that will delight all readers. Highly recommended." — School Library Journal (starred review) “Clever, whimsical, and jam-packed with details” — The Horn Book (starred review) "A friendship story chronicled through charts, graphs, and maps." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) This is THE next book for fans of Mapping Sam and My Map Book ! Told exclusively through charts and graphic illustrations, infographics designer Lalena Fisher explores the touching friendship of Ana and Harwin and how they work through their emotions when one friend learns the other is moving far away. Friends Beyond Measure explores the world of infographics, including maps, diagrams, charts, timelines, and so much more! From the chart showing how to make fairy tea to the Venn Diagram of the friends’ personalities, every page is filled with delicious details for the reader to pore over. Ana and Harwin’s friendship has been off the charts since day one! But when Harwin learns her family is going to move far away, the duo isn’t sure how their friendship can survive the move. See how their friend-o-meters calibrate in this imaginative, heartwarming story by beloved picture book creator and infographic designer Lalena Fisher.  An ideal read-aloud for classrooms, libraries, and homeschooling, this book includes backmatter that explains all about the different types of charts and graphics in the book and gives suggestions for readers to create charts of their own.   Readers will love all the fun details in this rich and visual story! And they’ll engage in critical thinking while analyzing and evaluating the images.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Mathematics, Stem, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2023

Reviews

[Mathiasherm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the infographics and the explanations at the end!! Taking to school tomorrow!!!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE all the math graphs, charts, and visuals displayed in such a cute way of tracking a friendship before one friend has to move away. Some of the methods of charting the information weren't super clear to me right away, or might have been something I was unfamiliar with. Luckily there is a handy guide at the back of all the kinds of charts used in the back, so you can familiarize yourself. It's very colorful and occasionally the pages are super busy and full--but definitely one that you can sit and read all the details on for the full experience. This would probably be a bit complicated for my preschool crowds but might be great for a couple grades older or for one-on-one readings.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute, and I almost maybe teared up a little 🥺

[Ilse O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

An infographic designer created this book that tells a story about friendship while simultaneously showing young kids all different kinds of ways to present information.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pain to read aloud, but the kids liked it more than I did. It's full of details and someone with time to read it more than once might really love it.

[Mompop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow charts galore!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ana and Harwin are the best of friends. They spend a lot of time together and get along very well. They are alike in many ways, but there are also many differences. Everything is fine until Harwin tells Ana that her family is moving far away. This is a sweet friendship story with a happy ending, but it is also a lot more. Fisher, an infographics contributor to the New York Times, uses few words but lots of illustrations of charts of all types including diagrams, maps, timelines, and more. A clever picture book that will require readers to be able to read charts, but well worth the effort.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable! A tale of two best friends and all the fun they have until one of them has to move away. Will their friendship survive?

We've seen this story a million times, but Fisher infuses uniqueness by incorporating infographics in the illustrations. This is a great STEM read that also has an engaging story. The art is so fun and sneakily educational.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful and useful new book was difficult to categorize,mso I've added it to both my fiction and nonfiction lists, math and concepts, friendship and diversity. at the always engaging topic of best friends playing and relying on each other launches the challenge of bad news: one is moving away. The story narrative carries the twosome through the initial grief and denial, to account for the many ways they have been integral to each others' lives, through a satisfying conclusion that, near or far, they will always stay friends.
That wins my praise with minimal but clearly stated and kid-friendly text. What puts this pbook on a must-have list is the overall premise that the story elements could be incorporated into a wide variety of infographics. Beginning at the copyright and title pages through to the final text page and even the back matter glossary, the use of charts, table;e, pictograms, graphs of many types, lists, and more provide enticing and even humorous "data" points of the many ways these two girls have built that friendship and grown in awareness of how similarities and differences are strengths rather than concerns.
The colorful, comic style examples that unfold on every page make working with these sometimes intimidating mathematical/graphic information tools feel like entertainment and fun. I urge adults at home as well as in schools and libraries to purchase and explore this book with your young readers. Perhaps even older readers who are developing media savvy and data portrayal. This seemingly simple picture book has the power to inform and excite readers (of any age) about their agency to use and understand our data-filled world.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe that this book should have won a Caldecott Award. Friends Beyond Measure, tells the cute story of two best friends and their lives together. Their friendship is full of adventure, joy, play, and the occasional ups and downs. The images in this book follow perfectly with the words, which there aren't many of. I believe the limited amount of words allows you to tell the story through the images and that relates to children of all ages. Friends Beyond Measures shows the differences between the two girls and what one is better at than the other but they are okay with that. I think this story is quite different than other illustrated children's book and its uniqueness should have earned it a Caldecott Award. Friends Beyond Measure is full of excitement, diversity, friendship, and charts.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author uses a story about friendship as an amazingly innovative way to demonstrate different types of infographics. The friends’ likes are in a Venn diagram. How to make fairy tea is illustrated w a schematic diagram (labeled). Where and what they play are shown on maps of their houses. The story includes a coordinate chart (how long it takes them to climb a tree); pictograph (different kinds of horses Harwin owns); timeline (Halloween night); and line, bar, and pie charts (how the girls’s comfort is influenced by noise, Ana’s feelings; and how many days are playdates), to name some more. Add calendars, flow charts, proportional area charts, and a list at the end of all the charts in the book, plus sample activities to use them for, and you have a very kid-friendly way to teach infographics.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the layout of this book, with the story of their friendship, told in a series of graphs and visuals! This was so much fun to pour over the details, and the way timelines and interests and experiences were displayed in a series of different types of graphs. And there was a cool reference at the back so that you could learn about all kinds of graphs. I would imagine children would be encouraged to create their own visual infographics. What an interesting and unique concept that really encourages critical thinking and visual expression.
This is exactly why I am obsessed with reading picture books and youth books! There is so much to learn and so much creativity to enjoy in these books.

[Maria]

Read for RCLS Mock Caldecott Awards...

A really unique book that will have immediate and enjoyable applications to elementary school math classrooms with its many types of charts/graphs.

However, for the Caldecott, I have to ask, do charts/graphs count as illustrations? If they were less cartoony/cute and in a non-fiction text, this book would not have been considered for the Caldecott. But because they are instrumental to the story and cartoony/cute, the charts seem to skirt the illustration line. Still, I don't think they can count as illustrations, and whatever typical illustrations were included are not particularly distinguished. So, I'm putting this at the bottom of my Caldecott list.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars rounded up. What a wonderfully fun and colorful STEAM book about friendship. Throughout this bittersweet story about a friend who moves, we see how their friendship, plans, and ideas are show through fun charts and such. This is what makes the book STEAM, but the charts and such are show in the most fun ways that is not didactic.

Some of the charts that are shown include: venn diagram, schematic diagram, maps, coordinate chart, pictogram, timeline, line chart, bar chart, pies and waffles and stacked bars, calendar, flow or organizational chart, and proportional area!

Highly recommend this book for young elementary school kids!

[Sylvia Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam-packed with captivating charts and fun data depictions, FRIENDS BEYOND MEASURE knocks it out of the park for its stellar storytelling through visual info, pithy phrases paired with smart art, and heart-filled dialogue. Lalena Fisher brilliantly showcases compelling infographics for all ages, creative and comparative thinking, and how different types of charts can be insightful through a wonderful storyline that celebrates understanding friendship through many perspectives as well as the emotional qualms that rise up when friends move. Especially entertaining for data head readers regardless of age, FRIENDS BEYOND MEASURE is sure to warm your heart with its clever presentation.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent way to introduce young children to charts! The two girls' friendship is charted in a variety of ways, with explanations of the various charts in the backmatter. The cartoon illustrations are very colorful and appealing. The Goodreads book description states that this book would be a good read aloud in classrooms and libraries. Classroom maybe, but it wouldn't work for a library story time with littles because there are way too many details in the various charts, and the pages are busy with activity and text. It would be much better for parent/child sharing, with time to pore over all the details in the book.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever to build a story with charts and graphs as part of the illustrations!
There is also a list and brief explanation of the charts shown in the book as well as a thought line to create your own chart. The charts include venn diagram, schematic diagram, map, coordinate chart, pictogram, timeline, line chart, bar chart, pie/waffle/stacked bars, calendar, flow/organizational chart, and proportional area chart. Definitely a great book to create with after reading it.

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bright, engaging picture book has two distinct messages to share. The first is that best friends will be best friends regardless of where they live. The second is that information can be shared in LOTS of ways. While some readers may find the colorful infographics distracting from the friendship story, other readers will be drawn into the story because of the visual aids. Highly recommended for school libraries and teachers who teach students about graphs, Venn diagrams, and other infographics.

[Marin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a math nerd I like this book, but as a librarian who is going to read this book to a class I struggle. I feel like the kids will like the colorful illustrations and be able to relate to the moving/friendship angst but the ways the illustrations include important information is going to be challenging to share with a group. I am anticipating a lot of kids telling me that I missed things and/or that I read them out of order. 🤞🏻 I’m wrong. 4 stars for the story/infographics, 2 stars for the read-aloud-ability, so a final rating of 3 stars.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed the infographics aspects of this book. (For me, the actual plot was secondary.) The kids and I spent more than half an hour reading this book, simply because they (and I) were so excited to study and interpret the infographics. This would be a great addition to any early elementary classroom where students are learning about ways to visually represent data in meaningful, engaging ways.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Math teachers will love this book! It shows real-world applications of the many different types of graphs and charts. There is a lot to look at with this book, so it might be a bit challenging to read it out loud to a large group of students without using a projector. This book is on the Texas 2x2 list I share with my Pre-K through 2nd Graders and I can't wait to see what they think of it-that is the true test!

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. The cover design is very colorful and looks like this book will be all about friendship. I'm sure that some young reader will pick it up, but they may be disappointed with the content. There is SO MUCH going on with the illustrations. It feels very overwhelming at times when you are reading through it. It's just too much all jumbled up onto a page.

[Richard (Rick) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really unique and cute book that tells the story of two girls who become friends and have to navigate one of them moving away. The entire story is told with different kinds of charts and infographics, which is great for teaching kids how to communicate via these methods. My daughter loved it ... I did too, but it's not a great one for reading together because she wanted to take forever to look at ALL the data in the charts!

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--This is a sweet, realistic story of a childhood friendship whose bond is too strong to break, even when one friend moves away. Children will see themselves in these pages. Adults will likely find themselves hearkening back to their own childhood friendships--I definitely related to the horse-loving girl.

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This innovative picture book tells the story of best friends through a mix of infographics and text. The story is told using charts including a venn diagram, timeline, map, pie chart, and many more. It is a fun and interesting way to get to know the characters and explore the topic of friendship and how to come to terms with a friend moving away.

Reviewer #23

[Danielle Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute story about graphs and charts and most importantly friendship. This would be a great book to introduce your kids to all the different ways to graph or chart information, but also an amazing book to help children deal with either their friends moving away, or perhaps their family moving.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever picture book about two friends - told in infographics! At times, it's a little challenging to know the best way to read the book, but I appreciate that Fisher plays with form to show the inner workings of the friendship between Ana and Harwin and the challenge they face when Harwin has to move overseas.

[Ruth Quiroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in the new books shelf at my public library and immediately added it to my very large pile to check out. And then I read it! What a PERFECT book for teaching visual literacy, keeping visual notes (writing), with lots of math connections. I think it has uses way beyond the elementary classroom! Plus it documents a friendship that will survive a family's move.

[Connie T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ana (a dark- skinned girl) and Harwin (who is fair and blond) have been the best of friends for a very long time. Their story is told using a variety of Venn diagrams, maps, charts, and graphs. This is an interesting way to portray their similarities and differences while gently introducing some math concepts and info graphics.

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish this was around when I was still teaching - perfect for a charts/graphs lesson read aloud. It’s a fun, relatable (when friend has to move away) friendship story, until the end that explains all the types used in the book. Bright fun colors, lots of life. Wonder if based on author/illustrator’s life?